Down Drop
Down Dropping, also known as oil infusing '''or '''oil mixing, is an alchemical process used by oil furnishers and crafters to create various oils from resins, plants and minerals, and other ingredients found naturally throughout Ralanos. It involves the process of mixing, extracting, and binding crafting ingredients, most commonly resins, and infusing them into an oil base, which can then be used in a variety of ways. A down dropper is almost always used in this process, though more "primal" crafters have used homemade blenders, drip feeds, and other man-made devices to mimic the process. Down droppers, which feature funneled tops that feed into a collecting tube, hold together plants, highly viscous resins, and other liquids, usually blended together beforehand, and cause an infusion process that ends with a combined oil of the used ingredients. This process can take minutes to months to fully complete, depending on the ingredients. Types of Down Dropping Products Light oils, used for things such as incense burning, medical treatment, and varnishes, usually take a shorter amount of time to complete, and are comprised of less viscous resins such as balsam and scose. These oils can down drop within a day's time, and therefore are produced more commonly than heavy oils. Heavy oils, like saffrene and porris oil, more often than not take months to complete a down dropping process. In turn, many of these oils are rare and highly sought after for their uses, and only created by renowned furnishers and craftsmen. However, most heavy oils require a small amount of resin compared to their matching ingredients, so a fair amount of oil can be made in one down dropping process. Mid oils, considered the least common of crafting oils, can also be created using down droppers, though their uses are slim and unreliable. For a time, in the mid 900's UA, mid oils were the most popular oil crafting products, though furnishers saw a great decrease in reliability over the years, as products used with mid oils tended to disintegrate and wear easily. Still, mid oils are used today for weapon coating, and other products with longer lifespans and greater durability. Down Dropper Design While sizes may vary, the most common down dropper is produced primarily by the coop "Dripfeed", and is about the size of half a full grown man, and usually stands up on a lowered working table. The finished products are extremely expensive, costing upwards of thousands of Bren. The head of the dropper is a large funnel made of fog glass, about the diameter of a scrubbing bowl. The head funnels do, however, vary in sizes depending on the length of the dropping process. They are also replaceable barring a break or crack, though once again, cost mightily. Though ingredients for light oils are usually heated prior to dropping, lengthier drops may require extra heat, and a flame may be placed against the catch-seam, a small patch made of pink obsidian that reacts to the fire and heats the concoction inside of the head. The body of a down dropper is a narrow tube also made of fog glass, but reinforced with lancel, which coincidentally is a heavy oil created using a down dropper. The body, or stem, continues downward into the base, where it widens. At the top rim of the stem sits a small narrowed gap called the neck, where an extremely small opening allows the ingredients to condense. Once through, the liquids fall slowly through the chamber. To avoid sticking to the sides of the neck, a gulley bar may be placed through the neck at the end of the dropping process to force excess liquid to the base. At the bottom of the dropper sits the base, which looks similar to a flask or beaker. Depending on the amount of oil being extracted in the process, base sizes vary to meet the required amount of space needed. Bases are also created using fog glass, but heavily reinforced and coated in lancel and shimming varnish to avoid leaks. The base sits upon a bottom board, usually a slab of stone or wood, which is flat and holds the base in place using hooks and anchors. In instances where the oil ingredients are either dangerous to inhale or touch, a dropper case may be placed over the entirety of the device. These cases are usually made of fog glass, or stone that feature small fog glass windows for viewing. Cases are not sold with the down dropper, and must be purchased separately; these too, are quite expensive. Down Dropping Procedure Crafters almost always clean the entirety of the down dropper before use. This cleaning process is thorough, to avoid potential contact between counteractive ingredients and to ensure that the desired finished product is not tainted nor corroded. Oftentimes this will include the use of a gulley bar, a long, narrow wire with a rounded end, intended on scraping the sides of the dropper body to clean excess materials. As the neck is quite narrow, this process must be done with extreme caution.